Cisco Green Teams Reduce Energy Use and Waste

Cisco is proud to have “green teams” around the world – groups of employee volunteers who educate fellow employees and advance sustainable change.

Green teams are currently active in India, Belgium and Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the United States (San Jose, CA and Research Triangle Park, NC).

Reducing waste in India

Paper cups have been a focus for many green teams, including the India Green Warriors. The waste associated with disposable cups may seem small when compared to Cisco’s total carbon footprint. But they are highly visible and have the potential to change employee mindsets around sustainability initiatives.

The Green Warriors championed the removal of paper cups from every Cisco site in India. The paperless cup initiative was piloted in 2016, then rolled out across all of India in January 2017. By removing paper cups, sites in India have avoided sending over 1.4 million cups each month to landfill. Congratulations to the Green Warriors for successfully leading this initiative!

Making it cool to be green in Europe

Another active green team is the Belgium-Luxembourg (BeLux) Team. These volunteers promote sustainable commuting and travel, and encourage employees to conserve energy at work and at home.

The BeLux Team helped develop an urban farm at our Diegem, Belgium site, promoted the use of a new bus stop at the Kortrijk, Belgium campus, and installed electric bike charging points and additional electric vehicle charging stations at both sites.

The team also helped promote energy-awareness events like “Thick Jumper Day,” a yearly event that takes place in Belgium to raise awareness about climate change and energy waste. Cisco buildings in Belgium and Luxembourg reduced the office temperature by a few degrees and encouraged employees to wear extra layers while hosting a warm clothing drive for charity.

Organizing a movement in the United States

The team at our San Jose, California headquarters is working to organize green teams across the world into an Employee Resource Organization (ERO). This designation would enable us to reach more employees and receive executive sponsorship for the program.

The San Jose Green Team has also focused its efforts on reducing waste. The team designed and installed shadow boxes above the landfill, recycling, and composting receptacles in our cafeterias. Each shadow box contains the actual items that should be disposed of in each container, to help employees quickly and easily sort their waste.

Additionally, the San Jose team has run “Bring Your Own Mug” events in several buildings to encourage employees to use their own reusable mugs at work. Finally, the team also volunteered by teaching local students about environmental sustainability at Cisco and organized various events to pick up campus litter.